


Before the night is out

by Phoebmonster



Category: St Trinian's (2007 2009)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-22
Updated: 2014-01-27
Packaged: 2017-12-09 05:40:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/770640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoebmonster/pseuds/Phoebmonster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just your classic rewrite and expansion of the St Trinians universe! ( DISCONTINUED ;-; )</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In the Beginning...

**Author's Note:**

> First St Trinians fanfic, hope you like it :). Comments and reviews appreciated!

Annabelle looked over the edge. It was a long way down. She wasn’t quite ready yet but she knew she would have to jump before the night was out. She hoped that Kelly got her message, and she hoped she understood and could forgive her for all the things she’d done. Annabelle sighed, and thought back to the beginning. Her future was limited, her present wasn’t very optimistic, but the past was wonderful. Annabelle sat down nest to the ledge and thought back to where it had all started, 4 years ago …  
(4 years previously)  
Annabelle sat on her trunk and stared at her dorm. It slept 5 to a room and the beds were almost identical to hospital beds, all metallic and cold. Everything was a dirty white colour, the walls, the curtains, even the bed sheets which, as Annabelle flopped down on them, were incredibly scratchy. Annabelle sighed, closed her eyes, and thought of home. Her dusty pink coloured bed sheets embroidered with little roses, her fresh white canopy on her four-poster bed, all her teddies lined up in neat rows… she was so deep in thought, Annabelle jumped when four other girls entered the room. The girl at the front was very muscular, with her blonde hair tied up in a ponytail and the most sticky-out teeth Annabelle had ever seen. The girl snorted when she saw Annabelle. “And who might you be?” This new girl looked haughtily at her as Annabelle replied “I’m… um … An-Annabelle Fritton. I’m new” Annabelle went bright red as the girl laughed and all the other girls started to giggle nervously as well. “I’m Verity. Verity Thwaites – and I see we’re going to have a lot of fun this year”  
It was only a few weeks in, and Annabelle already hated Cheltenham Ladies’ college. She was finding class really hard, she had no friends and the nightmares had come back again. Not ideal when you share your room with the school bully. The other girls in her dorm were nice but too scared of Verity to even talk to Annabelle. In the bed nearest Annabelle was Amelia, a mousy haired French girl who was here until her mother was back from Paris. It was rumoured that her mum was a film star. Next along from Amelia was Lilith, who’s Dad played in a classical orchestra so she went to live with her great aunt in the holidays. She had very red, curly hair and was often up half the night practising her violin in the music rooms. Annabelle had heard her once and thought she was rather good – but Lilith would never play in front of anyone. The next bed was occupied by Evangeline. Evangeline was the most animated of the three – always talking about celebrities and music. She had very tanned skin, dark wavy hair and was the only one in that dorm to have a boyfriend. She was very proud of this fact and would brag to anyone who would listen about how perfect he was and how he was in a band and how his hair swished… Annabelle thought these girls were perfectly nice and would have happily spent a year in this dorm but… but the last bed was occupied by a Miss Verity Thwaites, school bully. She laughed at Annabelle’s hair and the way she dressed, stole her books and ripped them up and forced her to write her English essays. What Annabelle hated the most was how all the teachers turned a blind eye, because Verity was the school’s “star pupil” (meaning her daddy paid for all the teacher’s bonuses) and obviously the schools rising star would never bully a poor innocent 12 year old who had just joined. Annabelle sighed and lay in bed. Night was always the worst part of her wretched day, because that was when the nightmares came back.  
Annabelle was laughing and her mum driving next to her. Her mum turned to look at Annabelle and she smiled. Then Annabelle heard the crash. Felt her body being jerked forward, feeling her ribs crack under the strain, seeing her mum next to her, covered in glass, bleeding. The lights flashed too brightly and Annabelle screamed.  
She jerked awake, clutching her blanket. She breathed deeply and curled into a ball, trying to muffle the sobs. It wasn’t your fault, she kept repeating in her head. Annabelle had been in a car crash when she was ten. She had been very badly injured, 4 broken ribs, fractured skull, snapped collarbone. Her mum, however, had been pronounced dead at the scene and Annabelle had never escaped the grief and guilt from that day. Suddenly she had no-one, so was packed off to her dads. Before, Annabelle and her dad hadn’t been that close (her parents split up when she was 7) but suddenly she was thrust into his life, a broken and battered 10 year old. Annabelle knew her dad resented her and sent her off to boarding school at first chance - he had begged the head teacher to let her in and bought the school a new library. But Annabelle always told herself that Daddy loved her, and Daddy needed time to concentrate on his work and that’s why he couldn’t look after her. Because if he didn’t love her, who did?  
The next day, Saturday, Annabelle tried not to wake up Verity and leave as quickly as she could, but Verity had other ideas. “Where do you think you’re going Annabelle? I heard you last night.” She laughed and mimed wiping her eyes. “Oh boo hoo, Mummy died and now poor little Annabelle is all alone. Even your own dad doesn’t want you.” Annabelle could feel her temper rising. She whirled round and blurted “Well what about your dad then? He dumped you here too!” Verity turned very quiet and Annabelle knew she was in for it. “Don’t you dare say a word against my father. He loves me and that’s more than can be said for your low-life cheating...” Her words were cut short when Annabelle punched her square on the nose. She knew her dad was a cheating low-life but she wasn’t going to let anyone say it out loud. Verity gasped and fell back, clutching her nose. Then she attacked in a whirlwind of punching, kicking and yelling. Annabelle tried to fight back but she had never been very strong. After a while, Verity was pulled off of her and Annabelle groaned. She ached all over and could feel bruises coming up all over her arms and legs. Verity looked daggers at Annabelle, the blood drying on her lip from the nosebleed. She then charged out, followed by three very scared room-mates. After a while, Annabelle managed to sit up and survey the damage. Nothing was broken, but she had a nosebleed and a cracked lip. The door creaked open and Annabelle saw Amelia carrying a bottle of antiseptic and some bandages. Amelia smiled and started to daub at Annabelle wounds. They sat in silence for a few moments when Annabelle spoke. “Why are you helping me?” Amelia sighed and continued to dab the antiseptic onto her arms. “I …I feel so guilty for not stopping her. I’m sorry” Annabelle smiled. “Don’t worry; she would’ve just turned on you too.” They sat in silence for a while longer when Annabelle spoke “How did you learn to do all this medicine-y stuff then?” Amelia laughed. “My mum works on the maternity ward in the American Hospital of Paris. I’ve lived around hospitals all my life and I kind of picked it up.”  
“But I thought your mum was a film star!”  
“That’s what everyone thinks because she moves to a lot of exotic countries but really she travels there to help improve their maternity wards. She’s been to places like India, Zambia, the Philippines … it’s amazing”  
“But you miss her”  
Amelia sighed and looked at the white-washed floor boards. “She promised me after Paris, she’d move back to England and we could get a flat or something. I mean, I love how she helps all these people but if she has time for all these new children, why can’t she take time off and visit her own child?”  
Annabelle sighed. At least you can still see your mum, she thought. Mines a bit further away than Paris. Amelia smiled and gathered her equipment up again. “Listen, Annabelle, you won’t tell… you won’t tell Verity about…this” She gestured to the medical equipment and Annabelle shook her head. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Thanks for helping me.” Amelia smiled a small smile and walked swiftly out of the room.  
Annabelle lay on her bed, thinking about Amelia and the pile of work she really should be doing, when the door burst open. Standing in the doorway was the imposing figure of the head-teacher. Her name was Mrs Beatrice Billingsbry and she was huge, with powerful, muscular shoulders and was almost as wide as she was tall, but it wasn’t fat, it was muscle. Annabelle had heard that she had played hockey and rugby from the age of 4 and was the best in England until a hip injury had forced her into teaching. She was of an impossible to tell age – she could have been 40 or 60 but her anger lines on her face made her look very old indeed. She had brown hair flecked with grey, often in a tight bun and she was glaring at Annabelle out of her pudgy eyes. Behind her was Verity, who was smirking. Annabelle knew she was in for it now. “What is the meaning of this?” boomed Mrs Billingsbry. “I hear some first years have been fighting. Do tell me Fritton, why you decided to punch poor Verity in the nose?”  
“She provoked me miss…”  
“Stand up whilst you address me, Fritton. And don’t call me miss.”  
“Sorry Mrs Billingsbry.” Annabelle stood up sheepishly. “She was being mean about my dad and …”  
“And you thought you would respond with violence? Honestly. But I expected nothing less of you Fritton. Violence, deceit and general bad behaviour are rife in your family.”  
Annabelle bristled. “Excuse me Mrs Billingsbry?”  
“Why didn’t you know? Your aunt is the headmistress of the worst school in the country – St Trinians. Why, they have no rules, the pupils are mad, they teachers are …”  
Annabelle cut in –“Are they the school that always beats us at hockey?”  
It was Mrs Billingsbry’s turn to bristle. “Well, yes but … No matter Fritton! I have yet to decide your punishment … I shall suspend your visiting and social privileges for a month, and you have to help clean the school grounds for three weeks!”  
Annabelle was outraged. “But miss…”  
“Mrs Billingsbry!”  
“But Mrs Billingsbry, look what Verity did to me!” Annabelle held out her bruised arms. “What punishment does she get?”  
Mrs Billingsbry glared at Annabelle. “What she did to you was merely self-defence. Now hand me your school pass Fritton and get to work on the lawn!”  
Cheltenham Ladies’ college prided itself in having very large grounds. There was a front lawn, an orchard of apple and pear trees, three hockey pitches and acre after acre of fields and woodland. The only trouble was, the school could only afford one, very elderly gardener who could barely mow the lawn, let alone weed the flower beds or pick the apples. The school got around this problem by forcing badly behaved students to do time working in the fields. They say it improved character, but Annabelle just saw it as unpaid labour.  
Annabelle stabbed the fork into the ground. It was her third day of helping in the grounds and she was hot, tired and covered in thorns. The gardener called out to her “That’s enough for today lass. Come back, same time tomorrow.” But Annabelle didn’t go back to her dorm immediately. Verity’s bullying had gotten worse and worse so Annabelle didn’t go back to her dorm until the last minute. It was very hard to hang around when half the teachers and the head teacher were on your back. Annabelle decided the best place to hide would be one of the big, fat oaks that lined the meadow. As she got settled at the top, Annabelle became aware of another girl moving below her. She soon recognised her as Evangeline - because no-one else had hair like that. She was writing a letter and was listening to her iPod and Annabelle felt sure she couldn’t hear her. Annabelle crept down and leaned right over to see that Evangeline was writing to – herself? Annabelle was so surprised she lost her footing on the branch and tumbled onto the damp grass. Evangeline screamed and yanked out her headphones. “Omigod Annabelle! What are you doing?”  
“Umm…reading? What are you doing?”  
Evangeline shuffled away hastily. “I’m just… just…writing to my boyfriend, Mark.”  
“I thought your boyfriends name was Sam?”  
Evangeline turned bright red and they sat in silence for a while. Eventually, Evangeline piped up. “Promise you won’t tell anyone this but I … I don’t actually have a boyfriend. I invented him.”  
“What?!” Annabelle was even more shocked now than when she fell out the tree.  
“I used to be really uncool at my other school – I was all pigtails, puppy fat and Barbie dolls. I was bullied so much. So over the summer, I cut my hair, lost lots of weight, bought make-up and invented myself a boyfriend.”  
Evangeline looked sadly at Annabelle and started to pull up the grass. Annabelle could tell what she was thinking. “So you write yourself letters like they came from your boyfriend … okay. Don’t worry, Evangeline, I won’t tell Verity.”  
Evangeline grinned and hugged Annabelle tightly. “Thanks! You’re the best!” Neither of the girls had noticed that it had begun to rain until it started falling heavily. The jumped up and sprinted into the main hall and up to their dorm. Just before they got inside, Evangeline stopped and held Annabelle back as well. “Look, I’m sorry for what Verity does …” Annabelle just shrugged and opened the door. Annabelle changed quickly and leapt into bed before lights out. She had had no idea about Evangeline and the extent people would go to become popular or to avoid bullying. Annabelle rolled over and tried to get some sleep – tomorrow was a Friday which meant hours and hours of gardening.  
Cheltenham Ladies’ college was a very old fashioned school, with wide, sweeping staircases and little poky rooms which no-body used. It also finished early on a Friday – at 1:00 all the girls could leave the school to go into the town on the bus. Anyone with detention or in Annabelle’s case, extra gardening work, had to stay behind. Annabelle’s visiting pass had been revoked anyway; she couldn’t have left the school if she tried.  
Annabelle couldn’t sleep. She tried everything until she gave up on trying at all and lay there awake. At least that meant no nightmares tonight. Then Annabelle heard a sound, a beautiful piece of music which floated up into her dorm. Annabelle wasn’t sure but thought it might be a violin. Out of boredom and sheer curiosity, Annabelle crept out of bed, down the corridor and deduced the sound was coming from the music rooms, two floors down. She knew if she was caught, she would be skinned alive by Mrs Billingsbry but at that moment, Annabelle couldn’t have cared less. As she approached the music rooms, she saw the silhouette of a girl playing a violin, with her back to the door. Annabelle opened the door and saw Lilith, playing her violin and swirling around. As she swirled, she met Annabelle’s gaze and nearly fell over with surprise. Her violin playing stopped with a screech and Lilith looked positively horrified. Annabelle grinned. “I… um…I couldn’t sleep. You play really well, you know that right?” Lilith blushed and pulled Annabelle into the room. “Thanks.” She mumbled. Suddenly, they heard footsteps down the hall, the unmistakeable clump-clump of Mrs Billingsbry’s footsteps. Both girls quickly jumped to the back of the music room, behind a piano. They heard the door creak open. A shadow fell across the floor. Annabelle and Lilith looked at each other and Lilith clamped a hand a hand over her mouth. A few, agonising seconds past but finally, finally the door creaked shut and the footsteps receded back down the hall. The girls sat there for a full ten minutes before Lilith whispered “Is she gone?” to which Annabelle replied “I think so.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the girls jumped out from behind the piano, ran across the room, out the door, up the two flights of stairs, along another corridor and into their dorm. The girls shut the door behind them and slide down onto the floor. Annabelle started to giggle quietly and Lilith just smiled. “Wow. Near death experience much!” whispered Annabelle. “Why do you stay up to play anyway? You’re really good.”  
“Thanks” smiled Lilith. “But I’m not that good. My little sister Edith is way better – she’s 8 and she plays for the London Philharmonic orchestra already, with my dad. That’s why I like with my great aunt most of the time – they’re gallivanting off to America or somewhere whilst I’m stuck in Hertfordshire.” Annabelle smiled. “Doesn’t mean you have to stop playing or stop playing in front of people. We should probably get to bed – before we nearly get caught again!” The girls quickly leapt into their beds and Annabelle slept soundly for the first time in weeks.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Annabelle plays hockey, meets Kelly and leaves Cheltenham ladies ... forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does contain some homophobic language - but not a lot.  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, sorry I took so long to update :)  
> Kudos to you if you get the Carrie and Errica reference!

On top of all this gardening, avoiding Verity and sneaking around, Annabelle still had mountains of school work and homework. Annabelle was bright at most subjects (even maths, which everyone hated) but what she really excelled in was hockey. Despite Verity being captain, Annabelle still managed to snatch a place on the team. However, she never got the chance to play a proper match until Cheltenham Ladies went head to head with St Trinians.  
Annabelle had heard of St Trinians and of their fearsome reputation but she reasoned they couldn't be too bad - after all, no-one could be worse than Verity and her aunt was head mistress. How wrong could one girl be?  
Later that day, Miss Pinch, the hockey team coach, called an impromptu meeting in the tiny changing rooms outside the hockey pitch. She was a tall woman of around 20 with a short blonde bob. She was the kind of person who always wore a tracksuit and was always on the go. All the girls huddled round, their breaths condensing to form clouds as the cold November nights started to draw in. Miss Pinch clapped her hands together. "Well girls I'm sorry to bring you here at such a late hour and at such short notice, but there have been a few changes made for tomorrow’s game.” Verity snorted and whispered loudly to another girl, "Has Miss finally come to her senses and kicked Fritton off the team?" Everyone giggled and Miss Pinch pursed her lips. “We won't be against Appleton Girls; they've had a last minute injury and can't pull a team together. We will instead be facing ... “Miss Pinch took a deep breath before continuing "St Trinians." All the girls gasped and Annabelle heard various mutterings about the broken noses and bruises they'd sustained the last time the two foes had fought. Miss Pinch looked worried as she spoke again, "So I assume this changes things - stand up if you wish to be on the team" There was silence in the little room; the only sound was of the wind whipping and the windows outside. "Come on girls ...” Miss Pinch sighed again. Before Annabelle knew what she was doing, she was on her feet. "I'll play" she blurted out. Miss Pinch arched an eyebrow then shrugged her shoulders. “If you want your debut match to be against those girls then on your head be it. Anyone else?" Verity shot to her feet, glaring daggers at Annabelle. Soon, a few other girls rose until they had enough for a team. Miss Pinch rubbed her hands together and grinned. “Excellent girls. Don't forget, 1pm at the hockey pitch ... Good luck" As she got up to leave, Annabelle swore she heard the coach mutter "You're gonna need it." But that was probably her imagination... As Annabelle left, a few of the older girls followed her out and started to talk to her. Annabelle recognised them as Carrie and Errica, twins in the second year with the blondest frizziest hair Annabelle had ever seen. They wore matching dresses and cardigans except Carrie's clothes were pastel pink whilst Errica wore a deeper blue ensemble. They spoke almost in unison. "What are you doing? You'll get eaten alive!" Carrie looked at Annabelle as if she was mad whilst Errica pressed on - " The last time we played them, our team had two broken wrists, Carrie broke her nose, I broke all my fingers ... They'll eat you alive!" Annabelle shrugged and started to walk away. "I've faced worse." And with that, she left the two older girls outside the changing rooms, with incredulous looks on their faces. "She's crackers" Carrie declared. "Barking mad." replied Errica. "Maybe enough to beat those wildcats..."  
Saturday came too quickly for Annabelle. She managed to choke down a slice of bread at lunch before heading out to the changing rooms and getting ready. At 12:50, Annabelle had a mini panic attack as she realised she'd left her hockey stick in her dorm but she managed to grab it before the game began. She arrived back just in time and ran over to join her team mates. The St Trinians' girls were already there, at the opposite end of the pitch. Annabelle was fascinated by them. One girl had long, black hair with red streaks, very bold black and silver eye make-up and at least 4 piercings on her nose and lips. Another girl wore a similar style of make-up and appeared to be ... Was she sharpening her hockey stick?! With a knife?! Annabelle hoped they wouldn't meet when the game stared. Another girl with her dark curly hair tied up in bunches was painting her nails and talking to a few of her team mates, all of whom appeared to have very high ponytails and gold hoop earrings. Some of the other girls had skirts so short they could be classed as belts and looked like they were on a night out rather than playing sports. Some of the younger girls were running around excitedly, their hair done in the craziest of styles. But the girl who caught Annabelle's attention stood at the very front of her team, hands on her hockey stick. She had a black bob and wore lots of lipstick to make her lips an outrageous shade of red and there was a dark glint in her chocolate brown eyes. Her skirt was rolled up (Annabelle didn't even know you could roll up a hockey skirt) to reveal a wonderful view of her legs. Annabelle looked away quickly and then back again. They were some amazing legs. (Shut up Annabelle and stop staring) was all Annabelle could think of yet couldn't look away. This girl looked at Annabelle and licked her lips and winked. Annabelle's eyes widened and she took a step backwards. The girl laughed and turned around. Annabelle could feel that she was the captain of her team, not least because she had "Captain, Bitches!" on the back of her shirt but because she gave off an air of importance as she walked gracefully through her team, ordering them, rallying them.  
All too soon, the whistle blew and both teams gathered round. Miss Pinch, the referee for today, bent down to be level with the two opposing sides. "Now girls, I'm looking for a clean game here ... No biting, kicking, gouging, pinching, clawing ... no fighting. I know you have differences but please settle them in a calm and orderly fashion off of the pitch.” However, the teachers words were drowned out by the chanting, muttering and general competitive electricity which was so tangible you could feel it in the air. When the whistle blew, the teams set off like rocket, dodging hits and swinging their hockey sticks with such force they could easily knock out a first year. St Trinians scored three goals in quick succession, by skill or by cheating Annabelle did not know. Cheltenham ladies fought back, with Verity scoring some amazing goals from quite a way away and soon the teams were neck and neck. Hockey sticks flew, the ball snaked through the crowds as every girl tried to dive for it at once. Annabelle got stuck in and the adrenalin rush was brilliant. The game didn't come without injury though - Errica was sent off with a broken nose and a younger St Trinians girl broke all her fingers. About 20 minutes in, Verity elbowed the St Trinians captain in the face, sending her reeling and crashing into the ground. Annabelle bent down next to her opponent and shook her gently. "Hey! You alright?" The girl opened her eyes suddenly and grinned. "Never been better!" She jumped to her feet and leapt back in the fray. Annabelle got stuck back in too and wondered - were St Trinians girls just resilient or crazy? Both, she decided. Both is good.  
Soon the rival sides were 11 all with only 3 minutes to go. St Trinians scored another goal and they celebrated, feeling confident in their victory. Annabelle tackled the first year with the ball and whacked it, the entire length of the pitch. Time seemed to slow as the ball flew through the air, past all the other players, straight past the goalkeeper in in to the net, just as the whistle was blown for full time. Everyone stood around in total shock for a second. Then the Cheltenham Ladies started to clap and cheer, everyone came over to congratulate Annabelle. As they walked off the pitch, Verity came over to Annabelle. "That last shot wasn't that great, I mean we still drew, if you hadn't gotten in the way ... Fritton, are you listening to me?" Annabelle was looking over her shoulder at the St Trinians captain.... She really was very beautiful (shut up shut up shut up). Verity pulled Annabelle round and laughed. "Oh ... You’re looking at Kelly Jones aren't you? Didn't know you were a fag, Fritton." Annabelle shook her head and stuttered out " N-No I'm not-"  
"Shut up." Growled Verity, pushing her to the floor. Annabelle knew what was coming, so closed her eyes. "I knew you were weird but I didn't think you were that bad ... Is that why you share a dorm with us? Like watching us change? I'm going too...” Annabelle opened her eyes as Verity abruptly stopped talking. Above Annabelle we're the amazing (oh shut up Annabelle) legs of the St Trinian's captain. "Is there a problem here, Thwaites?"  
"None at all." Verity looked haughtily up at the other girl. "We were just leaving." And with that, she turned around and marched back to the changing rooms. "We'll I'm glad that’s all sorted. I'm Kelly, by the way." Kelly had turned around and offered Annabelle her hand. Annabelle took it gratefully and stood up, brushing the dirt off her kit. "I'm Annabelle."  
Kelly grinned. "Well Annabelle, that was a pretty awesome shot back there. Don't listen to what your teammates say - Cheltenham Ladies hasn't drawn with St Trinians since 1984 and hasn't won since 1932 so don't feel bad or anything." Annabelle grinned as they started to walk back to the school. "You played pretty well to - I mean, not many people can survive being elbowed in the face by Verity." Kelly snorted and waved her hand away. “She’s just a playground bully - I've faced much worse. Anyway, a future head girl of St Trinian's such as myself has to learn to take a beating once in a while." Annabelle looked puzzled and thought a while before replying. "How do you know you're gonna be head girl?" Kelly grinned and stopped. "Oh I know I will be. Laters Annabelle!" Kelly waved as she skipped off to her battered old school bus. As Annabelle watched them drive away, she had no doubt that she had just met the future head girl of St Trinian's. It took a full 5 minutes before Annabelle could shake the stars from her eyes - Kelly was wonderful (oh shut up Annabelle).  
For a few weeks, everything was reasonably quiet. Annabelle had made history with the draw against St Trinian's but Verity was spreading rumours that Annabelle was a faggot which didn't exactly help her popularity. Annabelle could neither confirm nor deny these rumours, as she wasn’t even sure herself, so instead the school treated her with begrudging ambivalence. Annabelle was totally fine with this, she rather she be ignored than talked about behind her back. Everything was going fine until late January, Annabelle's 13th birthday.  
A few days before her birthday, Annabelle had gotten braces which Annabelle was terribly embarrassed about so she never smiled or opened her mouth, but was customary at Cheltenham Ladies to stand on your chair at lunch on your birthday whilst everyone sung happy birthday. Halfway through her pork chop lunch, Annabelle was required to stand on her chair. As the school sung for her, Annabelle grinned. Maybe life would get a tiny bit better for her; maybe she could make friends now, maybe... Then Annabelle's dreams were shattered as Verity called out. "Eurghhh Fritton! You braces are full of food! Ewww!" Annabelle gasped and shut her mouth quickly. She could feel the colour rising in her cheeks. The whole school started to mutter and Verity shouted out again. "Ohhh we better watch out for Annabelle the Cannibal, she eats people!" As the whole school started laughing, Annabelle jumped off her chair, grabbed her bag and ran out of the hall. The laughter faded as Annabelle ran to her dorm bathroom and scrubbed every last trace of pork from her teeth. Then she ran out of her dorm and into the Wreck room, burying her head on the sofa cushions. The Wreck room was an old abandoned classroom, only accessible from a flight of stairs and a trapdoor in Annabelle’s dorm. Annabelle had found it a few weeks previously and was amazed to find it contained battered old sofa and a TV with 4 channels. She'd tidied up a bit and now used it when she wanted to hide from Verity. Which was all the time. After a while, Annabelle wiped her eyes and switched on the TV, not really paying attention until the news came on. "And our top story today, Carnaby Fritton, world renowned art dealer has been arrested on suspicion of art fraud" Annabelle gasped as she saw her dad being bundled into the back of a police car. No, she thought. Not today. Today of all days, her dad had to go get himself arrested on her birthday! Annabelle switched off the TV and buried her face in her hands. This had to be the worst day ever. Soon, Annabelle got up, climbed back to her dorm and packed everything she owned into her trunk, leaving behind her school uniform. She wouldn't be needing that anymore. After a while, Annabelle was sitting on her trunk with her arms folded in the schools incredibly oversized driveway.  
Soon enough, a police car pulled up and a policewoman got out. The woman noticed Annabelle immediately. "Ahh. You must be Annabelle Fritton. I assume you've heard?" Annabelle nodded and sighed. The policewoman looked pityingly at Annabelle and put a hand on her shoulder. "You can wait in the car if you want to - I just need to go inside and sort a few bits out." The policewoman walked away and Annabelle heaved her trunk into the boot of the car and then sat in the passenger seat. Annabelle knew her father couldn't pay her school bills whilst he was being questioned so she would have to be transferred to a normal school and a children's home until her father was granted bail. (Annabelle had always wanted to be a lawyer so was always reading law books and knew a lot about what happens to children in the courts.) Annabelle sighed again and looked back at ugly facade of her former school building. She could see the faces of curious students staring back at her from the windows. Soon the policewoman returned with all the relevant paperwork and got in the car. "Ready?" Annabelle nodded again and the car started to move back down the driveway. Annabelle wound down the window and flung out her Cheltenham Ladies hat so that it landed on gravel. Soon the car sped down the driveway and out of sight of the school and Annabelle hoped beyond hope she would never see that place again.  
Verity found the hat the next day. She stamped on it with such a force, it was completely flattened and Verity muttered to herself "I haven't finished with you yet, Fritton!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kelly and Annabelle meet again as Annabelle starts attending St Trinians ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long to update, but this is for the 300th reader of my fics, Caitlin! Bear with, I do promise the nest chapters going to be more exciting :3

Kelly sat on the worn leather sofa of the head-teachers office and tapped her fingers on the armrest. She had been Head girl for precisely 4 days and she was already dealing with first year uprisings, exploding wardrobes and the Chavs and the Emos were at each other's throats again. Although Kelly didn't mind seeing Miss Fritton, she really needed to get back to her day job. Miss Fritton strode in, her blonde hair up in curlers and she was wearing one of her smarter suits. Kelly stood up and straightened her skirt. "You wanted to see me, Miss?"   
"Ahh yes, Kelly. Great job you're doing, being head girl and all, but I was wondering if I could ask you a favour?" Kelly looked suspiciously at her headmistress. "What sort of favour?" Miss Fritton sat down in front of her mirror and started to tease out the rollers in her hair. "Well you see my niece Annabelle is coming here today and I wondered..." Kelly smiled as she interrupted. "Ah I see! You want us to lay off the traditional welcome ..." Miss Fritton stared straight at Kelly with an almost disapproving look. "No girlie I want you to give her all you've got. But keep an eye on her - I haven't seen her since her mother died... She's been through a lot, more than the rest of us. I'm the only family she's got really and I would never forgive myself if..." Kelly cut off her teachers rambling with a touch of her hand on Miss Fritton's arm. "S'alright, Miss, I know what you mean. I'll go rally the troops." And with that, Kelly swept out of the room and up the stairs, shouting orders to the few first years still loyal to her.  
The first years seemed much happier with something to do and the twins had dispatched several platoons off to the surrounding forest to give the new girl the best possible welcome. Kelly was sat on the roof top with a pair of binoculars and a radio to get a good look at this new arrival. A smart black car turned into the driveway and Kelly took out her binoculars. "Oh my god!" she whispered under her breath as she saw who was in the car. It was Annabelle, the Annabelle she'd met all those years ago at the hockey match with Cheltenham ladies. She had grown up a bit and her hair was a bit longer but it was definitely her. Annabelle's hair was done in a tight fishtail plait which ended with a bright red ribbon and she looked out of the car tentatively, her lips slightly open in anticipation. Kelly grabbed her radio and started issuing orders to her younger comrades. "Ceasefire! Ceasefire okay! Sorry but I know what I'm doing ... Yeah ... Well fine skip straight to Plan B... Okay, I owe you a big box of Freddos... Fine and a Horrid Henry box set... Good. Thanks." Kelly jumped down and went into the main hallway and hid just out of sight to get a good look at Annabelle. She must have been ... 12 or 13 maybe when they met, which made her about 14 or 15 now. Kelly had remembered her because Annabelle was so confusing - she was nervous and was obviously being bullied by almost everyone in her year, yet her eyes were bright and fun, like she always knew something was going to change. And she was adorable when Kelly had talked to her, all curious and complimentary. Kelly didn't know why she hadn't just let the first years bomb the car with paint and flour but her gut told her that Annabelle deserved better and Kelly's gut is what got her the Head Girl spot so she went with that. Kelly smiled and shook her head. Why hadn't Annabelle mentioned her aunt was the head of St Trinian's?  
As Annabelle rolled up the drive in her social workers car, she peered out of the window into the eerie forest. She thought she saw a few faces pop up occasionally, but they were gone before she could be sure. At the end of the drive, Sue stopped the car and opened the door for Annabelle. Sue McElroy had been Annabelle's social worker for just over a year now since her father’s trial had dragged on and on. She was quite tall, Scottish and had ginger hair which was flecked with grey. She always wore long flowery skirts and blouses which fluttered in the breeze as she walked up to the doors of the school. Annabelle followed, a little reluctantly, dragging her heavy school case behind her. As she walked up the front steps and into the reception area, Annabelle grew more and more uneasy. The reception area was quite large, with a small bench in the middle for waiting visitors and a large desk covered in paper, phones and a very old computer.   
A young woman of around twenty was asleep with her head on the desk. She had blonde hair which was tied up in bunches and had extremely large headphones on which were turned up so loud you could hear the tinny tunes of JLS filtering out into the room. Sue leaned forward and shook the girl to wake her, gently at first but then more vigorously until she had two hands on the girls shoulders and was heaving her awake. The girl took her headphones off and looked blearily at Annabelle. “Who … are you?” Sue looked at the girl with mild distaste and replied in her most professional voice. “I’m Sue McElroy and this is Annabelle Fritton. We’re here to see Mrs Fritton to discuss … fees.” The girl’s eyes widened. “I’m so sorry, Miss Elroy. I’m Beverly” They shook hands gingerly and Beverly began shuffling papers around on her desk in a panic. “I’m sure I put it somewhere… I had it this morning … Did I? No…” Sue was almost tapping her foot with frustration and Beverly smiled apologetically at Annabelle. “You must know what it’s like eh? My brain don’t kick in ‘till about 5 on a Monday.” Annabelle was even more confused and replied, “Um… It’s actually a Thursday.” Beverly was flapping her hands now, frantically trying to locate whatever she had lost. “So it is … Ah ha! Found it!” She pulled out a rather battered file with Annabelle’s name stamped across the front. She then extracted herself from the desk and handed the file to Sue proudly. “I’ll just take you through … If you’d like to stay here Annabelle and … umm…” - She waved her hand vaguely around - “make yourself comfortable.” Beverly then stumbled down the corridor towards a large green door. Sue looked apologetically at Annabelle and swished down the corridor after Beverly and out of sight.  
Annabelle dropped her case to look around properly, walking over to the far wall. The wall were lined with off centre portraits and graffiti, including such wonderful insights as “Karen woz ‘ere” and “School is for losers.” Annabelle snorted and raised her eyebrows. At least ‘Karen’ had remembered the apostrophe. Along the far wall, there were rows and rows of bookcases and cabinets, containing school trophies and other, more shadowy items, including what appeared to be a shrunken head. Annabelle jumped back when she saw that but then peered in closer. The card underneath it read “In memory of Julia Stevenson who unfortunately didn’t return from the school trip to Cameroon.” Annabelle stepped back, suddenly believing the rumours and myths about this place. There were other things in those cabinets as well, books on how to kill your enemies in “24 untraceable ways”, an ancient copy of the school rules with a dagger pierced through the middle and an ancient school portrait which had been defaced by the addition of moustaches and afros for all of the teachers. Annabelle sighed. She really was in a school full of genii. Suddenly there was a crashing sound from the stairs and Annabelle whirled round to look up the huge staircase. There was no-one there, so she went and sat on the bench to contemplate her future at this school.  
“What the hell Taylor, she almost spotted us!” Kelly glared at the girl to her right and Taylor shrunk back sheepishly. “Sorry Kelly but it’s really hard to put on lip gloss and spy at the same time…” Taylor peeked over the edge of the staircase, “That was my best lippy as well.” The three girls sat back down with their backs to the banisters. Kelly held a pair of huge binoculars and was sat in the middle of Taylor and Andrea who were already bristling at the thought of having to work together. Kelly had brought them along mainly to stop them fighting each other in double English. Andrea sighed and started to file her nails. “Taylor, that lip gloss was nicked from Woolworths like 3 years ago. And don’t deny it – because I was with you.” Taylor blushed and gritted her teeth. “Well I wouldn’t have dropped it now if I hadn’t seen your ugly mug and gotten scared.” Andrea and Taylor were on their knees now, glaring at each other and cracking their knuckles. “Well I wouldn’t of …” Andrea’s witty comeback was cut short by a loud sigh from Kelly and a harsh whisper of “Shut up, you idiots! She’ll hear us! Go back to the dorm and check that the first years have got everything set up right.” Andrea and Taylor just continued to glare at each other. “Go!” Kelly gave them a shove and eventually they snuck up the stairs, mumbling about air-headed chavs and dumbass Emos all the way. Kelly sighed again and adjusted her binoculars to get a good look at the conversation which was unfolding below.  
Annabelle stood up quickly when Sue and Beverly came back in, shaking herself from her thoughts and back to reality. “We’re all set her, dearie. I’ll call you if there’s any development of your father’s case, but other than that, I’ll see you in October!” Sue gently patted Annabelle on the shoulder and started to make her way out the door. “Oh, I almost forgot your aunt wants to see you – she’ll be along in a minute.” And with a swish of her too-floral skirt, she was gone. Annabelle sighed and put her bags back down as she heard a high-pitched laugh waft down the corridor, followed afterwards by its owner - Camilla Fritton. Annabelle couldn’t remember last seeing her aunt, but she had no doubt who it was, the resemblance to her father was uncanny. Miss Fritton had curled blonde hair and a rather large nose to balance out her even bigger teeth. She was wearing a browny – red floral blouse and a dark red skirt which came down to just past her knees with tights and some black high heels. She bundled Annabelle in a huge and very fragrant hug and marshalled her back down onto the bench. Annabelle tried to smile as Miss Fritton launched into a long speech about how it was so nice to have Annabelle here and how long it was since they’d last met. Annabelle spent the entire time trying to look interested and trying not to cry. She just wanted to go home, but that wasn’t happening, not until her dad was acquitted at least. Even if he was, she wouldn’t go home, she’d just be shipped off to another boarding school or children’s home. Even if she did go home, it wouldn’t be home. She hadn’t really been home since her mum had died. Now Annabelle really wanted to cry so she was incredibly thankful when Miss Fritton clapped her on the shoulders and sent her up the stairs to her dorm. “Well girly, I guess I’ll be seeing you around! Now, your dorm is up the stairs and on the right. I’ll expect you’ll hear it before you see it. Toodle – oh!” Then she was off again, back down the corridor to her office, leaving Annabelle alone with the sedated form of Beverly and a whole school of maniacs.  
Annabelle looked up the wide, sweeping staircase and checked her watch. It was 10 o clock – the end of first period. So where was everybody? Annabelle gingerly put one foot on the first step. Suddenly, a huge tidal wave of girls came flooding down the stairs, buffeting her this way and that until Annabelle wasn’t sure which way was up anymore. Suddenly they were gone and all that remained was a tall girl with a dark bob and bright red lipstick. The girl walked down the stairs and grinned at Annabelle. “Hello. I’m Kelly Jones, St Trinians Head girl. You must be Annabelle.” Annabelle scrunched up her nose and squinted at Kelly. “I’m sorry, do I know you?” Kelly’s face fell just a bit but she hid it well and Annabelle grew even more confused – did she know this girl? Kelly turned around and walked back up the stairs. “Your bags will be on your bed. Catch you later, Fritton.” Annabelle stood in a stunned silence for a moment before following Kelly up the stairs to look in at her new dorm room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Annabelle gets pranked and plays hockey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look! I finally updated! The last time I updated was for my 300th reader but now I have like 540 views so I thought it high time I actually updated. It is really long though, so don't worry! As a side note, there is swearing and the such like in this chapter. Just so you know.

Kelly walked purposefully away but as soon as she was out of Annabelle’s sight, she dropped her shoulders and leaned against the wall. She felt the desperate and unexplainable need to cry and it took her 5 minutes to compose herself again. Why did she care that Annabelle didn’t recognise her? It was a year ago they’d met, after all. Kelly shook her head and loosened her tie – she needed to look like the head girl if she was ever going to have a chance at controlling this school. As soon as she stepped out into the main hall, she heard a tremendous crashing sound followed by a high pitched scream. Kelly grinned and ran into the dorm to find Annabelle covered in custard and flour. She was sitting on her bed with her mouth wide open whilst the first years danced and cackled around her. Even Taylor and Andrea were laughing and Kelly couldn’t help it and let out a stifled giggle. Annabelle pursed her lips, grabbed some clothes and ran to the shower.  
All the first years high fived and Polly rubbed her hands together and loaded up her laptop. Polly was the top geek and wore little round glasses which never seemed to stay on her face. Her ginger hair was always done up in two little buns on the side of her head and she was wearing long pink and white striped pyjamas. She wasn’t called the best geek for nothing though, within five minutes she had hacked the school security system, set up a live YouTube feed and updated her tumblr and her blog about what was going to happen next. “We’re live in 3.” The girls gathered round, all whispering excitedly. “2” Everyone was giggling and Kelly grinned, this would be her first prank as head girl and it was going brilliantly. “1. We’re live – now!” Polly hit record and a fuzzy picture of a girls shower block came into view. The girls could see Annabelle’s head as she furiously washed custard and flour out of her hair. After about 30 seconds, she screamed as the water went cold and she tried to scrabble out of the shower. Kelly smiled and leaned in closer. “Now we’ll see what she’s made of.” There was silence for a heartbeat as Annabelle looked cautiously around. She set of at a run down the corridors, slipping and sliding everywhere, and completely and utterly naked. All the girls were in hysterics, Andrea and Taylor were clutching at each other’s arms for support but Kelly was uneasy. She had a distinct feeling she shouldn’t be watching this. Annabelle rounded a corner, slid about 5 metres and crashed head first into a door. After a few seconds, she slid down the door and lay unconscious in the corridor.  
After all the laughter had gone down, Polly finished up on the laptop and checked the stats. “We have over 1000 hits on YouTube already, 43 notes on tumblr and 23 schools have commented on the blog post. All in all, a highly successful prank, Kelly - maybe the best yet. Kelly?” Polly looked worriedly at Kelly as she shook her head and focused again. “Are you listening Kelly?” Kelly smiled sadly and slumped against the wall. “I was just thinking … did we do the right thing? She’s been through a lot …” Polly smiled gently and shut her laptop down. “ Of course you did the right thing – she wouldn’t last 5 minutes at this school if she couldn't handle a prank. You can't keep her safe all the time, Kelly." Kelly nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. If you could just finish up here - I'll be in my bunk if you need me." Polly nodded and Kelly walked away, still thoughtful.  
After an hour, Kelly lay wide awake in her bed. Being the head girl, she got a room which was slightly separated from the others. It was a tiny little box room with a wardrobe and a desk and a small double bed but it was the most privacy Kelly had had in years so she loved it. The desk was covered in papers and long lost homework pieces but the rest of her room was immaculate, Kelly paid a first year to clean every Wednesday. She wasn't a slob but she just didn't see the need for everything to be tidy, and if it was, she didn't want to be the one tidying it! Not like Annabelle, she thought. I bet Annabelle - Oh Christ, Annabelle! Kelly shot out of bed and grabbed a large woollen jumper off of a chair. She ran down a few corridors and a flight of stairs until she found Annabelle, sprawled out next to a door. Kelly tried not to look as she shook Annabelle gently to wake her but she couldn't help noticing all the bruises on her back and around her collarbones. Annabelle sat up gingerly and rubbed her eyes. Her eyes widened when she realised she was totally naked and the head girl was sat right there. "Don't worry, I'm not looking. Here, put this on." Annabelle reached sheepishly for the jumper and Kelly turned away. When she swivelled round again, Annabelle was enveloped in a large dark blue woolly jumper which came down past her hands and just covered the top of her thighs. Annabelle stood up, a little unsteadily and began to walk back down the corridor as fast as she could. Kelly followed, rather shocked, until she reached Annabelle and turned in front of her. "A thank you would suffice." Kelly's voice was curt but it wavered at the end as she noticed Annabelle was crying. "Why? I know it was you who set up this french farce so you're not going to be forgiven that easily. Thanks for the jumper. But please, just leave me alone." Kelly was stunned and she suddenly felt white hot anger flare up inside her. "I didn't have to do this y'know !" Annabelle stood her ground and wiped her eyes defensively. "I didn't ask for it! Please, leave me alone!" Kelly let Annabelle pass but grabbed her shoulder. "Listen, Fritton... You can ... You can keep the jumper. See you around." Annabelle nodded and smiled a small and rather watery smile before turning around and shuffling away. Kelly walked back the other way, even though it was the longer way round. She needed to think.  
Annabelle woke up with the sunlight filtering through onto her pillow. She realised she was still wearing Kelly's blue jumper. She'd put on a pair of pyjama trousers but she had been too tired to change her top so she'd just sort of collapsed onto her bed. Annabelle rolled over groggily and checked the time. "Oh crap." She whispered as she noticed the time. It was 10'o clock in the morning. "Crap crap crap." Annabelle fell out of bed and grabbed her clothes, hurriedly putting on her blouse and skirt. She grabbed her books and ran out into the corridor but stopped dead when she heard a familiar voice. "Bit late, aren't we Fritton? Luckily for you, you've got a hockey match later. Meet on the field at 11." Annabelle nodded at Kelly, who looked as immaculate as ever, and straightened her tie. "I'll be there." Kelly smiled and Annabelle turned to walk away but she stopped when Kelly piped up again. "Fritton - you've got your shoes on the wrong feet." Annabelle jumped down to switch her smart black shoes back to the right feet. When she looked up, Kelly was gone.  
As Kelly walked away, she shook her head. Why couldn't she think straight when she was near Annabelle? Normally, if someone was rude or late, she'd just give them hell and make them clean the toilets for a week. But not Annabelle. Every time she'd gone to say something, she'd end up saying something lame like "You can keep the jumper" or "Your shoes are on the wrong feet." Kelly shook her head again and went off to the changing rooms. She needed to prepare for the hockey match - they were against Cheltenham Ladies and that always required more preparation than normal.  
11 'o clock came way too quickly for Annabelle. She'd spent the last hour trying to find all of her PE kit because some bright spark had decided to string it up all over the school. When she'd finally found her shoes (History corridor) and her hockey stick (Third floor balcony), it was five minutes to eleven. Annabelle bolted down the stairs to the changing room and quickly changed into her kit. As she ran out onto the pitch, she saw something that made her stop dead. One of the St Trinian's girls was facing the other way and Annabelle could see she had "Captain, Bitches!" on the back of her shirt. The girl turned around and Annabelle gasped as Kelly faced her, grinning madly. Annabelle suddenly remembered everything, the hockey match all those years ago. She'd met a girl called - of course! It was the same Kelly! The puzzle pieces were coming together now - that’s why Kelly had looked so disappointed when Annabelle didn't recognise her and why Kelly had been nice to her with the jumper. Even if she had set up the prank in the first place but Annabelle supposed that pranking was a requirement of being head girl. Annabelle was so lost in her revelations that she didn't notice the hockey ball being directed at her head.  
The ball connected with her temple with such force that Annabelle crumpled to her knees and blacked out. After a few minutes, Annabelle blearily opened one eye. Kelly was on her knees next to Annabelle and she wore an expression of the upmost concern. One of her hands supported Annabelle's head (Annabelle tried to ignore how Kelly's fingers were knotted in her hair) and the other hand was resting gently against Annabelle's temple, delicately pulling away at the wisps of hair that fell there to try and see where the ball had hit. Both girls suddenly realised what was happening and they blushed furiously. "I remembered ... I'm sorry, Kelly. But I remember now." Kelly looked confused but then a huge grin broke across her face. But before she could reply, the owner of the stray hockey ball stepped into view, towering above the pair. Annabelle gasped. Standing above her was her worst nightmare - Verity Thwaites. She hadn't changed so much since Annabelle had last seen her - her face and neck had erupted in a myriad of spots but she still had the same buck teeth, the same lank blonde hair. The same mean glint in her hungry eyes. "I'm awfully sorry, Annabelle. I can normally aim quite well but I missed today, silly me. I'm not ... interrupting anything am I?" Kelly gritted her teeth and helped Annabelle to her feet. "Fuck off, Verity." was all Kelly said and despite the throbbing pain at the base of her skull, Annabelle smiled. Verity smirked and marched away, back to her sniggering team mates. Kelly turned to Annabelle and smiled gently. "You alright to play?" Annabelle, who had previously been resting on Kelly's shoulder, stood up straighter and stood on her own two feet, albeit a bit shakily. Annabelle nodded and Kelly sprinted off to join her other team mates, but not before flashing Annabelle a brilliant smile. Annabelle stood for a minute, a little dazed; from the fall or the smile she did not know, before jogging off to join her team mates.  
Kelly waited until Annabelle had reached the party before she whistled and gathered her team together in a circle. "Right, girls, you probably saw what happened over there with Annabelle and Verity so you've all got to be on your guard." Everyone nodded and Kelly continued. "However, we do need to sprinkle in a little taste of their own medicine, so we'll play by old school rules. Deal?" As the girls nodded, Kelly surveyed her team. She had the two twins from the first year, Tara and Tania, Janie and Andrea (who were busy sharpening their hockey sticks) from the Emos, Taylor (chewing gum, as usual) from the Chavs, Peaches and Chelsea (redoing make up and eyeing the stands for any boys who may have popped along for the game) from the Posh Totties and Polly (on her phone, blogging) from the geeks. Oh and Annabelle. She stood a little apart from the others and Kelly made a mental note to teach Annabelle about all the different cliques at St Trinians. Before she could go over however, the whistle was blown and the teams were called into the centre.  
The game which followed was one of the goriest; most ruthless of all the games which ever took place at St Trinians. The players, although battered and bruised on the day, walked back into the school as heroes. Several of their blood-stained hockey sticks were placed on display in the school trophy room - although there is some debate over whether some of the blood was red food colouring added later. Even so, that sunny day in September went down in the school’s history until it had been told and retold so many times, no one was really sure what happened or not. What follows is an accurate (or reasonably accurate account) of that fateful game.  
The two teams stood on the St Trinians field, facing each other. The air was hot, heavy and thick with anticipation. The crowds and the teachers held their breath as a hockey ball was gently placed on the ground by a trembling Bursar. The birds were silent as he raised the whistle to his lips. Peeep! As soon as the whistle was blown, the two teams charged at one another in a frenzy of biting and scratching. The St Trinians girls cheered enthusiastically whilst the Cheltenham subs looked on in horror. Both Miss Billingsbry and Miss Fritton were yelling at their respective teams with such colourful phrases as "Use your nails!" and "Go on, just bash them!" The score was uncountable. After 10 minutes of impressive violence, both teams drew back, wiping their bloody lips and carrying unconscious players off the pitch. Kelly looked triumphant, her red lipstick smudged with the blood dripping from her split lip. Annabelle just felt sick; the throbbing in her temples had intensified into a dull roar. A trembling Bursar stepped forwards, his knees knocking in his cotton short. "It looks like a draw girls. It boils down to penalties. If St Trinians score, they win. If they don't, Cheltenham wins. Annabelle to take the shot." The whole stand went quiet again, all eyes trained on Annabelle. She gulped and walked forward nervously, praying she wouldn't throw up. Bursar dropped the ball on the ground at her feet. Annabelle readied herself and steadied her gaze on the goal. Then, through the haze which seemed to have enveloped her, Annabelle saw Verity mouth “I will kill you - and your girlfriend." The whistle was blown but Annabelle couldn't move, she was rooted to the spot. Suddenly Kelly ran forwards, shoved Annabelle out the way and took the shot. The ball flew through the air, whacked Verity on the chin and sailed into the goal. The crowd erupted into a flurry of cheers, St Trinians girls flooding out onto the pitch to administer plasters and hugs. Verity was taken away in an ambulance, still screaming about how she should have won. Mrs Billingsbry shook hands with Miss Fritton. "Until the next time, Beatrice." Mrs Billingsbry narrowed her eyes. "This isn't over yet, Camilla." She spat out the word as if it were a disease. "Believe me, we'll be seeing a little more of each other in future." Miss Fritton smiled slyly. "Oh, I don't doubt it. Toddle - o!"  
Kelly was carried inside by a huge group of supporters, Annabelle trailing sheepishly. There was a already a party going on in the main hall, drinks were being served, music blaring out and the lights low and throbbing. All the other girls got stuck in, drinking and dancing. Annabelle stood at the edge and wondered if it was possible to sneak away and read a book on her bunk. The music was getting louder and the hall was getting hotter and the lights were getting brighter. Annabelle turned to get out of there but black spots started to dance at the edge of her vision and she couldn't tell which way was up anymore. Annabelle saw Kelly pushing away the crowd and coming towards her but she knew it was too late. The black spots suddenly covered her eyes entirely and Annabelle crumpled to the floor, totally unconscious.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Annabelle wakes up and everyone receives bad news...

A few hours later, Annabelle woke up to find herself in and unfamiliar setting. She appeared to be in some sort of hospital wing; around 20 beds covered in white linen lined the white washed walls. A huge window dominated the far end of the room, its lacy curtains blowing in the light breeze. Annabelle realised she was still in her mud-covered, blood stained hockey hit but now she had a large plaster on the left side of her forehead. As Annabelle struggled to sit up, she noticed Kelly was sat on a chair at the end of the bed. She was without her usual make up and was dressed in a grey vest top and leggings. Her hair was wrapped up in a towel with a few wisps falling onto her shoulders. She looked up from the book she was reading to flash Annabelle a reassuring smile. Kelly then put down her book and moved to sit on the edge of Annabelle's bed. "You okay?" Annabelle was rather taken aback by the concern so her reply came a little too soon. "I'm fine - but how did I get here? And what's this on my head?" Kelly smiled and moved a strand of Annabelle's hair away from the plaster. "Mild concussion - you fainted and cut your head open when you fell. It should be fine by now but if you feel faint or dizzy, go lie down." Kelly's hand had come to rest on Annabelle's temple and she quickly snatched it back. "Oh and also, wear these dark glasses, don't talk to loud and don't shine any bright lights." Annabelle took the glasses but didn't put them on. "Will that help?" Kelly laughed and dug a small battered notebook out of her back pocket. "Oh god no! All the other girls are going to be massively hung over and they'll bite your head off if you don't!" Annabelle looked thoroughly embarrassed and Kelly got up to leave. "Oh, Fritton, before I forget, here's my notebook. It contains everything you need to know about this school. Also if you breathe - one word - to anyone about this, I will personally bring about your dark and untimely end. Catch you later, Fritton!" Annabelle was so shocked she said nothing as Kelly grabbed her book and left, sweeping out of the door. When the door opened, the Matron fell into the room; straight onto the floor but Kelly just stepped over her and continued. Annabelle laughed and shook her head, opening the notebook carefully. The pages were old and a bit tattered but the red leather cover was still in good shape and the writing was readable.   
Page 1 - Kelly's diary  
This book is property of Miss Kelly Jones, Captain of the Hockey team and future Head Girl. If I haven't given you permission to read this, I'll stick your head on a pike!  
First Chapter - The Cliques  
There are many different cliques at St Trinians and you've got to know each one and find one to belong to. Well I don’t, but I sort of get along with everyone.  
Geeks  
The geeks are scheming, technical and very, very clever. They're in charge of all the school's books so if you need a bit of cash to fund a project, go to them first. They're also fiercely loyal, if you can get them on your side, the rest will follow soon enough. They operate several investment schemes and are brilliant at hiding dirty cash. They've also developed a ton of computer programmes and I'm pretty sure Polly could hack into MI5 if she wanted to, so keep your computer well away from her. Finally, don't touch their computers. Not as a joke. Not ever.  
Chavs (or 'Rude girls' but that’s a crap name so I've elected to ignore it)  
The Chavs love gold hoop earrings, painting their nails and fighting with the Emo lot. Never underestimate them though – they’ll find a way to get back at you. They’re also quite clever, if you give them time. Don’t go near them on a Monday unless you want a black eye – they’ll have terrible hangovers. The Chavs are brilliant at sourcing stuff though – any materials you need, they’ll know someone who knows someone who can get if for you. They pretend to hate the Emos but I can assure you they’ll work together in a crisis and I think Taylor and Andrea are better friends than they let on.  
Emos  
NOT GOTHS. I repeat, NOT GOTHS. On my first day, I was given a bit of advice – Emos’ hate themselves, Goths hate everyone else. Simple. Our Emos are more into Voodoo and satanic rituals than anything else and their actually quite a content bunch if you get them talking about that. Note – Don’t go into room 512 – it's just like the rumours. They’re also quite cynical and incredibly meticulous, if you give an Emo a job they want to do, they’ll work solidly until it’s done. Another thing, don’t get on their bad side or you may go the same way as Jenny Worthing, and I’m pretty sure she isn’t out of the asylum yet.  
Posh Totties  
They run a chat line and all claim to have slept with one, if not two members of the royal family. Brilliant at persuasion, but in more of a ‘I know a guy – well I know what he likes’ sort of way. They are also total and utter airheads but with ancestry like that, they can screw up in life and still have a mansion to go home to. That’s why most of the off –track posh kids end up here, to keep them out the way. The Posh Totties have boundless knowledge of the aristocracy, what to wear with what and how to apply eyeliner evenly (I must get them to teach me) They get on well with everyone and are really easy going so if you’ve annoyed them, you’ve really fucked up!  
First years  
Simple – they’re crazy 10 year olds. As they’ve just joined the school, first years have their own clique but they might move onto another one when they make friends. The first years are the most carefree and crazy bunch, hair-brushing is only for special occasions and they’d rather have a massive water fight than a shower. They’re almost like the foot soldiers of the school; they do most of the legwork. Good thing is, they enjoy it – so if you need a car paint bombed, a gate blown up or a headteacher flour bombed, they’re your group. They can also be easily bribed – wine gums, chocolate buttons, bobble hairbands and Horrible Histories DVD’s can all be used. Finally, they are also in charge of the school betting shop, betting on everything from the outcome of games to the likely hood that the new girl will leave the school screaming and covered in flour.  
Annabelle noted a little pencil mark in the corner – it read 'Annabelle currently at 3/1 on this.' She sighed and shut the book. After a few minutes, Annabelle swung her legs off the bed and gingerly stood up. When she didn’t fall over or black out, Annabelle grabbed the notebook and the glasses and unsteadily walked down the room, stepped over the still unconscious Matron and out into the corridor.  
It was unnaturally silent as Annabelle made her way to her dorm. When she got there, she saw everyone was spread out over their beds or chairs, some fast asleep whilst others were groggily waking up. Annabelle picked her way between them until she got to her bed, thankfully unoccupied. Before she could get changed however, Polly motioned her to come and look at the computer. “Hey Annabelle!” she whispered. “You ought to see this…” On the screen was a slightly fuzzy image of the main reception which was covered in streamers, toilet paper and banners. The floor was littered with bottles and sleeping kids and Annabelle could have sworn she saw a few guys grabbing their shoes and sneaking out. In the middle of the chaos sat a very well dressed man with an expression like he’s just eaten a lemon. He was clutching onto his briefcase for dear life as his eyes scanned the room. In the corner of the screen, the girls saw Mrs Fritton sneak in and try to sneak around him. Unfortunately, she stepped on a bottle and the man wheeled round to face her. “Ahh, hello there, I was just … Would you like a cup of tea? Beverly, offer the man some tea!” Beverly quickly scuttled off and the man with the sour face stood up. "We are not here to drink tea, Miss Fritton. You owe the bank over £500,000 and since you've ignored our three final demands, I've been forced to issue this." He held out and envelope which Miss Fritton took and opened carefully. "A foreclosure notice." The man finished triumphantly. Miss Fritton glanced at the envelope and gagged before pushing the letter inside and placing her hands on her hips. "Which one is the final demand then? You can't have more than one final demand, which is the final final demand?" The man ignored her and straightened his tie. "You have 4 months to pay the outstanding balance. If not, then this school will be shut down." Mrs Fritton glared at the man and he glared back. "You can't do this! I have a duty of care to my girls, girls who find shelter in no other school." The man sneered. "Thugs and playground terrorists more like. I expect we'll be meeting again soon Miss Fritton." Mrs Fritton scrunched up the letter and balled her hands into fists. "Or maybe not Mr ... Bank Manager!" But the man was already out of the door. A frantic voice suddenly came into earshot with Beverly running in, mugs in both hands. "Tea!" she said breathlessly. "I got tea." Annabelle didn't hear about what was said next as Polly shut the laptop. They looked at each other and Polly swallowed. "I expect Kelly got all that live - she's probably on the stairs." Polly said in a shallow whisper. The other girls were stirring now and Annabelle stood up, running a hand through her hair. "What the hell are we going to do? I don't know where I'd go if this place shut down." Polly started putting her laptop back in the bag. "It's alright for you - you're a goody two shoes. The rest of us have been kicked out of most places. For me at least, this school was my last option." Annabelle looked rather shocked. "What did you do to get expelled from all the other schools?" Polly's eyes looked very far away and a half smile ghosted her lips as she answered. "Let's just say I can hack any system in under a minute and that quality isn't exactly encouraged in regular schools." Before Annabelle could reply, Taylor and Chelsea stumbled in. Taylor was still in her hockey kit and Chelsea was just wearing a large T-Shirt which had a few guy's names and their phone numbers scribbled in the corner. Polly stood up and zipped up her laptop bag. "Girls, we have a problem. At least level ten." Taylor's eye's widened and Chelsea clapped a hand over her mouth. "But it's a Saturday! I can't deal with a level 10 until at least Tuesday!" Chelsea said in a horrified whisper. Polly rolled her eyes and started to walk towards the door. "I'm off to find Kelly - Annabelle, if you explain everything; we'll all meet in the dining room in 20. Okay?" Annabelle nodded and started to explain what had taken place downstairs.  
20 minutes later, the whole school was seated on the long tables of the dining area. Paper planes flew and the air was filled with people laughing and chatting. Only a few girls sat still, with Chelsea, Taylor, Andrea, Polly and Annabelle looking at their laps as the contemplated the enormity of what had happened. Kelly stood up on her chair and cleared her throat. The din quietened and Kelly clasped her hands behind her back. "You're probably wondering why I called you here. Well, we have a problem. If we don't raise £500,000 in 4 months, this school will close." The room erupted in waves of cheers and shouts but Kelly glared everyone into silence. "If this school goes under, you'll all have to go to different schools - and by that I mean normal schools!" The whole school fell into a shocked silence. Kelly got down and motioned to the people on the top table to follow her. Tania and Tara up skipped to join them and they walked back up to the dorm in silence, leaving a gaggle of very confused students in their wake.  
The girls walked up to the dorm, Annabelle trailing behind. When they reached the door, Kelly turned around to face Annabelle. "No - not you, Fritton. Just - just stay outside." Annabelle was a little taken a back but she said nothing, merely nodding and walking back down the corridor. The girls looked at Kelly with raised eyebrows but she ignored them, pushing open the dorm room door and stepping inside.  
Annabelle sat down on the flight of stairs at the entrance and pulled out Kelly's notebook and began to read.   
General School Information  
The School spans across 4 floors, with floors 5 and 6 used for dorms. There is also a hockey pitch in the main grounds and tennis courts right round the back (very private - no one ever goes there.) On the bottom floor, there are the kitchens and the main hall.   
Tips and tricks  
\- Doors into Rm 412 are booby trapped  
\- Don't go down the Spanish corridor after dark  
\- All 4th floor staircases should be taken with caution (walk on the left)  
\- Don't open any cabinets in the history rooms  
(More information to follow as I gather it)  
There is also a garage by the main entrance where the girls bottle the Trinski and where we deal with Flash. Flash is the worst conman, forced to deal with schoolgirls - but he does do well out of it. We're his biggest source of pilfered goods and we're his biggest customers, buying everything from TNT to forged documents.  
Meanwhile, the meeting wasn't going very well in the dorm room. Everyone was talking all at once, suggesting ideas more far flung and inconceivable than the last. "Stop!" yelled Kelly. "We can't agree on a damned thing! Has anyone got an idea which might actually *work*?" Tania and Tara were sat cross legged on the floor and they shook their heads. Chelsea was stretched out on the bed and Andrea was bunched up at the other end. They both looked at each other and shrugged dismally. Polly was sat on her chair with her laptop on her lap and Taylor was lying on her back with her head dangling off of the bed, both of them shaking their heads. Kelly sighed. "Well, looks like we're going to have to - “She was cut short by a sharp cough from Polly. "Sorry Kells, but I think you should see this. Carnaby Fritton's Lawyer has just driven up the driveway - and I doubt he's here to see Annabelle." The group gathered round the fuzzy image on the laptop.  
In the lobby, Annabelle shut her notebook quickly as she saw a familiar face coming through the door. "Mr Jason!" She cried, and the lawyer looked up. He had closed cropped blonde hair, cold grey eyes and round glasses. His face was pinched and lined and he wore an expression of faint distaste at all times. The look intensified as he saw Annabelle. "Ah. Hello there Annabelle." Annabelle bounded down the stairs, her hair flying behind her. "Have you come to take me home? Is Daddy coming to visit me?" Mr Jason sighed and carried on walking through the lobby. "No, Annabelle, I'm here on business. Talk later." Then he was off, pushing open the door to Mrs Fritton's study and shutting it with a bang. Annabelle slumped down on the staircase and the occupants of the dorm room shivered. Kelly felt something heavy settle in her heart and she wanted so badly to pick Annabelle up and tell her everything was going to be okay. "Should we invite her up? She'd want to see this." said Chelsea tentatively but Kelly shook her head. "She'll figure it out." Sure enough, the fuzzy Annabelle on the screen moved closer to the door and pressed her ear to the keyhole.  
The camera switched to inside the office. "I'm hearing none of it. I will not be dealing with the likes of your client." Mrs Fritton was looking out the window with her hands on her hips. "I'm just relaying what my client said to me. Mr Fritton merely expressed an interest in buying up the school and turning it into more of a worthwhile venture - a spa or hotel, perhaps." Mr Jason was sat on the sofa, a cup of tea in his hands but he wasn't drinking it. Mrs Fritton wheeled around and pointed accusingly at the expressionless lawyer. "You can tell your client -" she spat the word the word through her teeth "- that I will never sell off my school. What about the girls? What about Annabelle?" Mr Jason pursed his lips. "He mentioned nothing about Annabelle." Mrs Fritton looked so angry she could burst. "So he sent you here to talk about business but mentioned nothing about his own daughter?" Mr Jason sighed. "He never talks about his daughter - she's no longer of any relevance." The teenagers in the dorm room gasped. "Omigod." whispered Chelsea and Taylor swore under her breath. They saw Annabelle slump slightly at, her head resting gently on the door. Polly quickly switched the camera back inside and they saw Mr Jason start to pack up his belongings. Mrs Fritton was shaking her head. "Mr Jason, you can tell my brother that he's wrong about Annabelle - and that I will never sell him my school." Mr Jason shrugged and stood up. "I'll be sure to pass on the message. Good day, Miss Fritton." As he approached the door, the camera switched and the girls saw Annabelle scramble away from the door to sit on the stairs. Mr Jason shut the door behind him and walked out of the main doors, not even sparing Annabelle a second glance.  
Polly shut the lid of her laptop slowly and Kelly ran a hand through her hair. "Right, umm... Chelsea, Andrea, Taylor - get the news out to the rest of the school that we aren't relying on the grown-ups any more. Polly - contact Flash, we'll need his help. Tania, Tara - get the garage ready and get the next batch of Trinski out." All the girls nodded and made to leave, but Kelly stopped them. "Also, what we saw just then ... don't tell anyone. She doesn't need that spreading as well." The girls nodded again and left one by one. Polly was the last left in there, firing up her laptop again. "What are you going to do, Kelly?" she said quietly. Kelly ran a hand through her again and sighed. "I'm going to find Annabelle..."  
Kelly found her in an abandoned French room. Annabelle was sat on the teacher’s desk, looking out of the window. Her tights were splattered with paint and Kelly saw the empty paint can which had just rolled into the room. Annabelle turned slowly and smiled sadly at the head girl. "You were right - room 412 is booby-trapped. I think I avoided the worst of it." Kelly grinned and sat down next to Annabelle, kicking the door shut behind her. "Annabelle ... we saw what happened. We were watching through the cameras.... I'm sorry." Annabelle shrugged and turned to Kelly. "What for? I knew you would be watching, you had to. And I've always known my Dad doesn't give a toss about me. So there's nothing new there."   
"So why are you hiding up here?" Kelly's question filled the silence and she realised she already knew the answer. Annabelle didn't answer, just turned to face the widow again, her hand clenching into a fist. "You wanted him to tell you differently, didn't you? For him to say you were coming home." whispered Kelly.  
Annabelle twisted round, tears pouring down her cheeks. "But it isn't home! Not without my mum! This will always be the closest thing I have to a home - and look at it. I don't belong here. I never will." Annabelle buried her head in the head girls shoulder, her shoulders shaking gently. Kelly patted her hair and pulled her closer. "Hey, it's alright. You will fit in, it just takes time. And it's a pretty decent home, when you get used to it. Don't cry, it'll be all right." Annabelle sniffed and wiped her eyes, lifted her head from Kelly's soggy shoulder. "Thanks Kelly. I think I'll go find something to hit now." Kelly grinned as Annabelle jumped off the desk. "That's the spirit! The more valuable, the better." Annabelle smiled softly and opened the door. "See you around, Kelly." she said with a grin playing around the edge of her mouth. "Catch you later, Fritton." grinned Kelly as Annabelle shut the door behind her. Kelly sat on the desk for a while, swinging her legs and grinning madly. Then Kelly Jones realised she was in love, and her world came crashing down around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look - I finally updated :3 I promise I'll try to update more frequently but I've got like a shit load of work to be doing instead 3: Ah well ...


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr Thwaites is plotting, Flash is back and the girls learn a lesson in crime - all in a days work for a St Trinian :3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, I AM SO SORRY this took so long to update 3: I've been really busy with school but I promise it won't be as long next time... Also, just a note that I am starting to fall more into canon now but I don't stick to it exactly, so there are gonna be some changes :3

5 days later  
Mr Thwaites sat, with his legs propped up on his desk, looking out at the view across London. He could see all the way down to the banks of the river Thames, up to the London Eye and along to the houses of parliament (on a clear day.) He stretched out and crossed his arms with a satisfied smile. Jeffrey Thwaites had become a household name - for his reformation of the prison system and now for his upheaval of low achieving schools. When he'd finished - who knows where next? The private sector? A nice house in Spain? A private helicopter? His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. Mr James poked his head around the door, followed slowly by the rest of his weedy body. He had a thin face and was balding badly, and had a terrible stammer. "The b-b-board is here to see you, sir." he said quickly. Mr Thwaites nodded and swung his legs down from his desk. "Good morning, James! I can tell this is going to be a brilliant day, can't you?" The man, who had the misfortune to be named Mr James James, nodded nervously. "Yes s-s-sir, I think it'll be a l-l-lovely day." he stammered and Mr Thwaites clapped him on the shoulder. "Good man. See you in a minute James, this shouldn't take long." The clerk nodded again and opened the door for his employer.  
"We'll start by tackling the worst schools in the country - then the rest will just fall into place." Mr Thwaites thought his ideas would be met with applause, but there was only silence. The finance minister rubbed his hands together and shot Mr Thwaites a concerned look. "But that would mean going back to St Trinians, minister." Mr Thwaites looked unimpressed but one of the younger members of the board had started to shake. He had a worn face and curly brown hair, but his eyes were vacant and unseeing as he tried to force a pill into his mouth with a shaking hand. Mr Thwaites gestured to the quivering man and the woman sitting next to him spoke in a hushed whisper. "He went to ... you-know-where last year, undercover. He came back ... changed." Mr Thwaites snorted. "Over a bunch of naughty school girls?" The man ran a shaking hand through his hair and fixed the minister with an unmoving stare. "You don't know man. You weren't there. It was ... carnage." Mr Thwaites shivered. "Well, we'll go back more prepared than ever. What could they possibly be doing that would surprise us?"  
Kelly pushed open the side door and, checking there was no-one around to see her, snuck out and walked swiftly towards the small concrete outbuilding. Checking for spies seemed fruitless - big brother is always watching - but Kelly really wanted to make sure Annabelle wasn't going to appear. The head girl had managed to avoid her ... problem for a week now and intended to keep it that way. She had bigger fish to fry. Kelly reached the garage, yanked open the door and slipped inside.  
The garage had been converted, and now housed the largest illegal distillation unit in the country. Glass tubes and bottles filled the room, precariously balanced on spindly poles and connected by copper piping. Girls at one end of the room stood on ladders and poured liquid into the very top, whilst other first years in lab coats scuttled around, adjusting pipes and adding drops of something or other. At the other end of the room, the liquid was poured into bottles which were then labelled and packaged, ready to be loaded into Flash's SUV. Sometimes a few geeks ambled in to take calculations but most of the production was left to the first years. Kelly slipped behind a large vat and waited. Sure enough, Flash ambled in and sat down on the chair, swinging his legs up in the table.  
"So, girls..." he said in a slow drawl. “Whatcha call me here for? The next batch shouldn't be ready for a few weeks." Tara sighed and Tania rolled her eyes. "Our latest recipe takes less time - go on, try it." They put a small clear bottle on the table, labelled "Trinski." Flash plucked the toothpick from his mouth and leaned forward to examine the bottle. "Mmmm ... like what you've done with the packaging, but have the problems been taken care of?" Tara and Tania looked at each other with wide eyes. "Problems?" Flash twirled the bottle and groaned. "Yes! The burning sensation when you swallow? The going blind after three glasses? The woman wot died?" Tara shrugged. "She was old." Tania nodded too. "She could have gone at any time." Flash swung his legs off the table and clasped his head in his hands. "She was 35!" The twins shrugged and Kelly covered her mouth with her sleeve to try and stifle the giggles. Then, a tall blonde haired girl wearing black high heels sauntered down the stairs and stood in front of the table, holding a shot glass. "Good afternoon, Flash." she said stiffly, in a thick Russian accent. "Alright then, let’s give this baby a whirl." Flash said as he poured a measure of vodka into the glass. Anoshka raised the glass then downed it in one go. The whole warehouse waited in a breathless silence. Anoshka stumbled, smashing the glass against the wall and then standing up straight. Flash grinned and extended his hand to Tania and Tara. "Good job girls, I'll take the lot." Suddenly, Anoshka keeled over, Tara stepping aside just in time. Flash pulled his hand away quickly and pointed at the girls in turn. "If that's permanent, see you in court." The girls rolled their eyes and started to drag Anoshka out. Flash was getting up to leave but Kelly decided enough was enough and strutted in.  
Kelly had decided to pick that day to wear her shortest skirt, short black boots and a shirt with an incredibly low neckline. Flash's eyes widened and Kelly grinned. "You got a good deal there Flash." Flash ran a hand through his hair, his eyes darting everywhere except Kelly. "Y-yeah, I guess so. It sells well up in London so..." He stopped with a gulp when Kelly leaned forward and rested her hands on the table. "Listen Flash... we're in a fix down at the school. We need £500,000 or the school closes." Flash threw his hands in the air and started talking very fast. "I can't get my hands on that sort of cash! I don't get that much from..." Kelly cut him off with a wave of her hand. "No, I'm not asking that. We've tried getting the money legally, but now we're going to have to try ... other ways. And you're the one who knows the most about crime around here, so I was wondering if you could teach the girls about ... how we're going to get hold of this money." Flash nodded and threw his coat over his shoulder. Kelly made to leave but Flash coughed and she turned on her heels. "I'll get Polly to send the rest of the details later. Catch you later, Flash." Before he had time to reply, Kelly was out of the door and walking along the path back up to the school. She didn't notice the girl coming the other way with a huge box until it was too late.  
"I'm so sorry!" said the girl, pushing the books back into the box. Kelly was about to apologise when she stopped short. Annabelle stood up, placing the last book in the box and looking at Kelly, her eyes widening. Kelly smirked as the other girls eyes darted from her short skirt to her chest. The head girl coughed and Annabelle blushed, picking up the box again. "I've got to take these to the garage, where should I put them?"  
Kelly looked at the side of the box and shook her head. "Nah, these have got to go to the English department. Why would Flash need 90 copies of 'Girl with the Pearl Earring'?" Annabelle sighed and they started to walk back to the school. After a while, Annabelle shifted the box onto her hip and looked at Kelly. "Did you see Flash today then?"  
Kelly nodded and gestured to her skirt. "'Course. Why d'you think I'm wearing this? He would've said no otherwise."  
"Kelly! You're 15! You can't do that!"  
"Why not? I'm the head girl; anyway, I'm nearly 16. Why do you care?"  
Annabelle lifted her head and replied angrily.  
"You can't let people take advantage of you like that!"  
Kelly rounded on Annabelle and placed her hands on her hips.  
"It's my choice, Fritton. And I'd never do anything with him, you know that. Anyway, no-one takes advantage of a St Trinians girl, no matter how we're dressed, got it?"  
Annabelle nodded meekly and Kelly took the box from her grasp. "I'll deliver these. Go tell Polly Flash is on board, she'll know what I mean."  
Then Kelly started to walk away down the stony path, Annabelle staring in admiration.  
Three days later  
"Is this everyone? Blimey that's a lot... well; I guess we should make a start." Flash stood by the blackboard in a classroom crammed with girls from all corners of the school. Kelly stood in the corner, tapping her heels whilst Annabelle sat at the back, staring idly out of the window. Flash reached for the chalk and the room went silent as he scrawled one word at the top of the board - 'Crime' Flash clapped his hands together and grinned at the class. "Well, girlies, there are six types of crime - anyone care to start us off?" Hands shot up over the room and Flash pointed at a geek with her bright blonde hair in pigtails. "Extortion?" The whole class chattered in agreement as Flash scribbled it on the board. "Extortion! Brilliant! Some people think all that 'Gimme your money or else' is a bit old hat, but it'll do the job nicely. Who's next?"  
More hands waved and a first year piped up. "Oh! I know! Confidence trickery!" Flash grinned and scrawled it on the board. "Even better!" The first year grinned and folded her arms. "That's what got all my brothers in prison. I got off with a suspended sentence." Flash grimaced before waving his hands at the class. "C'mon girls! We're never gonna get anywhere like this... anymore?" A hand shot up and Chelsea called out. "Credit card fraud?" Flash scratched it on the board with a flourish and smiled. "We could get somewhere with this..." Whilst the class threw ideas around, Annabelle sighed. They were never going to get any money like this! All these crimes could rake in a few thousand, but nowhere near the amount they needed. Not like art, smirked Annabelle. There was always money in art.  
An emo had put her hand up and said, as sweetly as possible, "Kidnapping?" Flash looked thrilled but as he turned to the board, the girl kept speaking. "We find a rich man's wife" - Flash leant forward - "and we cut off her ear." Flash looked shocked but the other girls laughed. "And we sent it to him, special delivery. Then just keep ... chopping, until he pays the ransom." Flash shivered and gestured to her friends. "That's too much evil ... go see a counsellor or something. Don't leave her alone, alright?" The girl just smirked and Tania and Tara raised their hands. Flash pointed at them and they said in unison, "Theft?"  
"Theft! Now we're back on track... where?"  
"Bank of England?"  
"Nah, too big."  
"W H Smith?"  
"Nah, too small, mainly books."  
Tania and Tara scratched their heads and looked at each other. Flash groaned and waved his hands around the board. "C'mon girls... one more..."  
Annabelle had gone back to looking out of the window, when she spotted a book on the damp grass. "Girl with the pearl earring!" she said, slapping herself on the forehead. She must have dropped it when she dropped the box! Annabelle turned back around to find the whole class looking at her in shock, with Flash's hand poised over the board. "That ain't a type of crime - that's a painting, isn't it?" Kelly suddenly leapt up from her position on the wall and grinned slyly. "That’s it! Sixth type of crime..." she walked over to the board and plucked the chalk from his hand and scrawled on the board. "The heist!" she finished triumphantly and turned to the class. "We break into the national gallery, and steal the Girl with the Pearl earring." She plucked one of the books from the corner of the box at the side and threw it to Chelsea, who caught it with shocked expression. The girls gasped and signed 'oh my god' before Chelsea piped up with a confused "So you want to steal Scarlett Johansson?" Everyone laughed and Kelly rolled her eyes. "You are so blonde Chelsea. C'mon, we've got work to do - I think it's time to organise a school trip."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a disclaimer - i don't, in fact, own St Trinians (but I'm working on it :3)  
> Thanks for reading, please comment/ kudos, it would be very much appreciated :3


End file.
